Dan Crisp, the box-owners of Reebok Crossfit Glevum, is giving us a little insight into what happens at his BOX! Enjoy another episode of our Europewide BOX interviews.

Short Facts

Info:

How did you come to CrossFit?

My first experience of CrossFit was in fact in my home gym which later became known around the UK as “The Cave” back in 2010. I was toying around with different programs to find the best way to get fit & strong for my sport at the time, Rugby. My first workout I was exposed to was Fight Gone Bad, later introducing my Dad & a few friends. My Dad now CrossFit’s 5 days a week and recently completed the BOL Qualifiers.

Why did you open your own box?

I opened Glevum with the ambition to help people. I wanted to inject fitness into peoples lives and foster a community that supported one another by increasing self esteem. I found that through doing CrossFit I was happier & healthier and I wanted to pass that on to as many people as I could. When I made the decision I was living in Leeds studying to become a teacher whilst training with a few OG’s such as Mike Rawlinson (CrossFit Leeds owner), Carl Dickson (Reebok Fitness & Training Manager), David Lane (All round hero) and was encouraged to start something I was very passionate about.

Why exactly should I join YOUR box? What makes it standout from others?

We are a very lucky to house a very diverse community. We have members of the armed forces, full time mums, nurses, police officers, elite athletes, kids & retired grandparents. We started a tradition that when we opened our doors we would do introductions at the beginning of class. Because we have created such an inclusive environment, all our members know each other, support one another and socialise in and outside of the gym. We are also very fortunate enough to have a very talented team of coaches with huge depths of coaching experience within different fields.

How does your member structure look like? (Number of members, Male/Female, Young/Old, any competitive athletes?)

In the run up to our 2nd birthday we have just welcomed our 150th member to our community. We are extremely proud to say that all of our members all train a minimum of twice a week on top of attending specialist training sessions outside of class times. Our population is very mixed which makes us very inclusive. We have true inspiration in the form of a tough lady who is now about to celebrate her 68th Birthday all the way down to a bunch of 5 year olds who continue to amaze us all within our CrossFit Kids classes.

We now teach a WOMEN’s only program which see’s a regular 12+ ladies train twice a week once finishing their school run. We also have a fully operational Barbell Club which is competing nationally with lifters looking to represent in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We are also very proud of a strong group of athletes with both male & females competitors who are looking to make a big push towards this years European Regionals.

Do you have additional training possibilities (Yoga, Gymnastics etc.)?

We have just welcomed a very experienced Physiotherapist to our community who has previously worked within professional sport including the 7’s Rugby World Cup in 2013 offering soft tissue release, full injury assessments & follow up treatments. The Glevum Barbell Club also has a great reputation with members competing regularly within the regional & national competitions. Our Barbell Club Head Coach, Jon Pamment, is now in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he looks to compete in the 77kg category.

Do you consult your members in nutrition questions?

We annually organise & hold a Nutrition Challenge which in the past two years has seen tremendous results both in health & body composition. This lead to us finding a specialist within nutrition to help educate our members on the importance of a well balanced diet. We are just about to start work with a local health & nutrition specialist who runs an education centre based around Paleo/ Primal living.

If I start as a beginner – how does my training in the first month look like?

Some of our members first get introduced through our monthly “Community Workout” . This is a chance for any potential new members to come down & try a workout prior to them signing up to anything. This happens one Saturday a month where members who are already with us have to bring a friend who has never tried CrossFit as their entry tickets.

All of our new members first get introduced to the intensity & movement curriculum that is found in CrossFit through three private training sessions. In these “Fundamentals” sessions one of our experienced coaches will guide them through our techniques, terminology, warm up prior to joining in to any classes. Once the three sessions are completed a coach is assigned to that new member for the first six weeks of their time with us. Here they will make regular check-ins on how they are finding training and also offer further help with anything they are finding difficult.

Do you organize any internal or open competitions?

We offer our members & athletes from different boxes within the area the chance to compete throughout the year at our “Glevum After Hours” competitions. These take place at numerous times throughout the year where we welcome anyone to come down for some friendly competition. The events never have to be completed RX and we highlight that these events are put on to celebrate the local Gloucestershire CrossFit community.

We also run an annual in house competition having now staged an individual & mixed pairs event. These provide huge excitement within the gym in the weeks leading up to them with individuals dropping in for extra session to ensure they are full prepared!!

Do you have links to other boxes?

We talk & see the 4 other boxes regularly within the area. Hosting our “After Hours” competition is a great chance for us all to catch up with one another & also to introduce our members to each other from the different affiliates within the area. They all find it very exciting discussing training & their experiences of CrossFit to one another.

Can I drop in if I am passing your city? Who do I have to contact?

We love to welcome experienced CrossFitters to Glevum. We are frequently visited by many passers by & people visiting the area on their holidays. We advise anyone looking to drop in for a session to contact us a week in advance so that we can ensure we have space for them at the time they wish to visit.

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